Gastroenterologist Maria Lopatina has explained that experiencing diarrhea immediately before major events such as exams, business negotiations, flights, or meetings is a direct nervous system reaction to stress rather than a physical disease of the digestive tract.
Writing on her Telegram channel, Lopatina noted that when medical examinations reveal no underlying physical abnormalities in the stomach or intestines, attempting to treat the digestive organs directly will fail to produce any therapeutic effect.
Lopatina explained that when the human body enters a stress response, it automatically prepares itself for immediate action. This physiological shift alters heart function, changes breathing patterns, adjusts hormone levels, and redistributes blood flow throughout the body.
As one element of this broader fight-or-flight response, the motility of the intestinal tract accelerates rapidly. This sudden increase in gut contractions pushes material through the digestive system far faster than normal, resulting in acute stress-induced diarrhea.
Treatment mistakes and gut-brain interactions
Due to the neurological origin of the condition, Lopatina advised individuals against attempting common dietary interventions. She cautioned against excluding specific foods from a daily diet, making drastic nutritional changes, fasting, or taking anti-diarrhea medications simply as a precautionary measure before an event.
Lopatina emphasized that the core problem lies in a disruption of the complex interaction between the nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. She stressed that as long as patients fail to understand this underlying mechanism, they will remain trapped in a cycle of treating surface symptoms rather than addressing the actual cause.
Understanding the gut-brain axis
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine dedicated to studying and treating disorders of the digestive system, including the esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, and pancreas. Medical specialists have long recognized that the digestive tract is tightly linked to the central nervous system through an extensive network of nerves and chemical messengers.
This bidirectional communication network, commonly known in medical science as the gut-brain axis, allows emotional states such as acute anxiety or psychological tension to directly alter digestive function. Because stress triggers rapid muscle contractions in the intestines, physical gut symptoms can manifest strongly even when the digestive organs themselves remain entirely healthy.
Dietary advice for stomach ulcers and gastritis
In related medical advice for digestive health, gastroenterologist Svetlana Ionova previously recommended that certain individuals should eliminate fresh cabbage from their daily meals. Ionova explained that fresh cabbage ought to be excluded from the diet by patients suffering from gastritis or stomach ulcer disease.
Gastritis is a medical condition characterized by inflammation of the protective lining of the stomach, whereas peptic ulcer disease involves painful sores that develop on the interior stomach wall or the upper section of the small intestine. Raw vegetables contain tough insoluble fiber and natural compounds that can irritate inflamed gastric tissue, prompting doctors to recommend cooked alternatives during flare-ups.
